Light Up The Darkness
by Dridius
Summary: The sweet embrace of oblivion was denied to him. In its place he received a curse he wouldn't have wished on his worst enemy. Will he wander along the darkness, burdened by his sadness for eternity? Or will light return to his world and grant him his release?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** The Twilight universe and all there in belongs to Stephenie Meyer. This plot and ALL the characters there in that have NOT appeared in the Saga are MINE.

**A/N:** Hello there. First fic/story I've written... ever. This is a little taste, an appetizer if you will. I'm working on the first chapter of this story that has plagued my mind for months and should post it later this week or on the weekend. Chapter updates will be irregular until I find my rhythm.

Be warned that I am not an experienced writer in any way. So please read, review and advice me as much you want.

And now, let the show begin...

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Prologue: Ends and Beginnings**

The darkness was suffocating. It was cold and it was everywhere. It was both horrifying yet tempting at the same time. He welcomed it all. He wanted to lose himself in it and forget all that had just happened. The darkness seemed all too willing to comply as it slowly chipped away at his being.

_How could I have failed them so completely? I was supposed to protect them, keep them safe and I failed!_

But for the life of him, or death as the case may be, he couldn't figure out WHY he had failed.

His enemy should have died in those first few moments when he reacted and got it by surprise, but it hadn't.

He should have been able to slow it down, distract it long enough for them to escape. But he hadn't managed it.

They should have been able to hide, but it found them.

Near the end He'd even managed to catch it by surprise again, made it pause for a moment. That moment should have been enough… but it hadn't.

In the end he couldn't do anything, not a single damn thing.

He wasn't strong enough to fight it off or slow it. They hadn't been fast enough to run or hide from it.

Then, his mind and body broken, it came for him. In a last desperate act of vengeance he actually caught it by surprised a third time. But again it did nothing. Before ending him it actually commended him. He felt the little warmth he had left leave him to be replaced by the darkness that surrounded him now.

As he waited for the sweet oblivion that the darkness promised he felt something that he didn't want at the moment. He felt a warmth were he thought his chest was. The warmth extended from his chest to the side of his neck.

He tried to get away from it, tried to lose himself in the darkness. But like his enemy, there was nothing he could do against the warmth.

The warmth kept spreading and getting warmer. From warm it went to hot. From hot to searing.

Before the heat became unbearable and overwhelmed his mind he labeled it for what he believed it was. It was his punishment, his penance for failing them. His eyes snapped open as the fire forced him back to consciousness.

A heart stopping scream filled with sorrow, grief, agony and madness pierced the moonlit countryside… no one was there to hear it.


	2. Chance Meetings

**Disclaimer:** The Twilight universe and all there in belongs to Stephenie Meyer. This plot and ALL the characters there in that have NOT appeared in the Saga are MINE.

**A/N:** Well then... Here it is. First chapter... of my first story... ever. Hope you guys/gals like reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Please read, review and advice. No need to be gentle.

Well then... Lets do this.

* * *

**Chapter 1: **Chance Meetings

He walked down the street simple and nondescript, someone you'd notice then forget in the span of a second. He wore black jeans, a black long-sleeved button-up shirt, a black windbreaker trench coat with the hood up, black hiking boots and black leather gloves. All of it well worn but well cared for. His eyes were hidden by dark sunglasses. His face was framed by a goatee that followed his jaw line into thin sideburns. At first glance you'd put him at early to late twenties but the silver that sprinkled his short black hair and beard put him in his early to late forties. He walked at a fast pace, deadly purpose in every step.

His face was emotionless, yet under it was a tempest of anger and the promise of death for the people that gave it to him. He'd been in a good mood too, good for him at least, not hour ago.

Walking to one of his favorite spots to enjoy one of his favorite pastimes after a job well done he heard the sirens. Getting nearer he saw the red and blue lights all over the park, all over the bench that had been his objective. It overlooked a large playground popular among mothers, babysitters, young kids on the way home or hanging out. Great place for families and friends to have fun and for kids to be kids. Especially on a beautiful day like today. Watching them always made him feel better.

_Wonder what's happened._

He sat at a bench some 100 meters from the scene, pulled out a book and listened.

"Why would someone do this?"

"It happened so fast…"

"Obviously some sicko…"

"I hope she's alright…"

He quickly tuned the useless chatter out and focused on the business like voices of the officers and the nervous speech of the witnesses.

"Ok ma'am, please tell me your name." the officer asked.

"Jaclyn Evans" She replied.

_Jackie, good kid, good babysitter, intelligent and honest. 19 years old, freshman, child development major, child psychology minor._

"Well Ms. Evans, please tell me what happened."

"I-I'd just picked up Anna and her friends from school. We were walking to Anna's. They had a group project due Monday so they were g-going to finish it tonight while I watched them and finished a report. W-w-we were going make it a sleepover… they wanted to ask me some things…"

"Miss, calm down. Take a deep breath. I know this must be very hard for you but I need you to tell me everything you saw."

She caught herself in the middle of an anxiety attack, closed her eyes and forced the tears back. _Focus_, she told herself, _you can breakdown later, they need you now._

He heard her take her breath, heard her heart rate slow. _Good girl, _he thought, _ you have a better rein on your nerves than I thought. _He filed his observation for later consideration and continued to listen pretending to be too engrossed in a book.

After regaining enough of her composure she continued more steadily, "Walking to her house we decided to cut through the park and get some ice cream. Afterwards, as we left the park and were about to cross the street someone hit me over the head with something" she rubbed the forming bump on the back of her head under the bandage, "and pushed me to the ground. I was so confused and stunned. I heard one of the girls scream… when I finally managed to get up and look behind me I only saw Anna trying to fight off some man… then he hit her over the head with something and knocked her out."

_Little Anna's always been the brawler of that group, _he thought, almost smiling, as the anger at what happened to her and her friends began to rise.

"Then" Jackie continued "He picked her up and ran to a van that was waiting for him. Someone on the passengers seat was yelling something at him but I couldn't make out what it was. I-I-I tried to stop him but I couldn't" sniff "I couldn't run straight, I stumbled f-fell" sniff "They took them… I was supposed to watch them and I failed!" The tears and grief over the fate of the four girls finally broke through her restraints. The constant throb at the back of her head serving as a physical reminder of her failure.

"No miss" the officer told her, holding her shoulders to keep her from collapsing into a sobbing wreck "You couldn't have done anything more in that situation even if you had a cops training and gun. I can promise you that. In fact, most people would've been knocked out in that first hit." The sincerity in his voice was too pronounced to deny.

His words calmed her down some, but only some. The officer continued to ask her questions, what the van looked like, the license number, what the men looked like. But he had heard enough. He stood off the bench, closing the book and putting it in his coat picket, and walked towards the scene to see what happened.

What he saw just made his rising anger increase. What Jackie said she saw was quite accurate. What she hadn't seen were the other 3 guys that attacked the girls at the same time she was hit, putting some kerchief's over their faces. They went limp in seconds.

_They must've used chloroform._ He thought._ Never even realized what happened. _

Anna had time to notice though. As the 3 men carried her friends off toward the van that was parked near them she tried to get them back. _Always the brave one. Always so ready to defend them, even when you're scared out of your mind. _He thought as he watched her struggle with the man who went for her after hitting Jackie, causing her to scream. The twelve year old girl put up one heck of a fight, even getting some good, painful kicks in. Until the man got tired of trying to use his kerchief and hit her with the same weapon he used on Jackie.

_Hmm, a blackjack. It's a wonder how Jackie stayed conscious after a hit from it._

Yet there she was, stumbling after the man and Anna. Mumbling "no" and "stop" in a voice so low he doubted even she heard herself.

"Will you hurry up you fat turd!" The man in the passenger seat yelled.

"I'm comin, hold ya pants on." The turd replied as he got in the van and closed the side door.

The white van sped down the street just as people got over their shock and came to help Jackie, who was trying to stumble after the van. An older woman guided her to his favorite bench and sat her down, fussing over the wound on her head. The woman's husband was talking frantically on his phone, explaining what he'd just seen and asking for the police and an ambulance for the girl.

By then he'd seen enough as well.

He started after the van at a fast pace. _Its been about 20 minutes since they left, the chloroform will probably last about 2 hours if the kerchiefs the others used were as soaked as the one 'turd' tossed aside. If I move fast enough the only memories those girls will have of this will be what the docs and their families tell em bout it. Except Anna, she'll know a bit more but nothing that will leave a scar._

To anyone that might have been looking all he did was walk near the scene, glance around for a second or two then leave quickly. Those that did notice him just saw a man minding his own business and quickly forgot him.

Twenty minutes later he found the van abandoned in an alley. He paused for a moment to see the scene.

" Hurry up guys, we gotta move quick before the cops come chasing." The driver ordered as he grabbed the girl with short black curly hair and tan skin and carried her towards the dual cab midnight blue pickup truck with a covered bed he'd stopped behind.

_Alex. The smart one. Prefers reading a book to most anything else, except hanging with her friends. Probably the reason the others do so well in school. Quiet, but when she speaks the others tend to listen._

"Aw come on Randall, no way they come yet right Andy?" said the man carrying the twelve year old unconscious blond. He carefully tied her hands and feet with zip ties then placed her next to Alex, who was restrained as well.

_Jenny. The artsy one. Draws anything and everything she sees and even a few things only she can see. Timid but loyal._

" Nah, but we better not take any chances. Better do what Randall says Jake." Said Andy as he carried long haired African-American girl to the padded bed of the pickup, restrained her and put her next to the others.

_Amber. The fashionable one. Always wearing the best and leading a trend. Never imposed an image on the others though, unless they asked for her help as they sometimes did. Then she'd play dress up Barbie till she was satisfied with their look._

"Aight" said Jake. He looked back at the van and saw Anna. "Daaamn Mike, you did a number on her didn't ya. Why didn't ya use the stuff Randall got us? Worked like a charm."

"Hmph" Mike replied "She was feistier than a cute girl like her should be… Ill fix that soon enough though." He said as he placed the long black haired girl in the truck and restrained her too. Her ponytail was messy and there some blood matted the side of her head were Mike hit her.

_Anna. The athletic one. The glue that kept the others conflicting personalities bonded and allowed their friendship to blossom. She wasn't overly smart, didn't care for fashion and couldn't draw a stick figure. But she was very social, charismatic, and could read people better than Alex read a book._

_And after this, _he thought bitterly, _they'll probably be all the tighter. And there's the silver lining._

They closed the back of the covered bed of the pickup and got in the truck. Randall sure the cover was on right and tight. He got in the drivers seat and they left the alley, leaving the van.

_Ten minutes since they left… 40 minutes since they were taken, ten since I started tracking. Hmn, that Randall seems like the smarter one of these idiots. Why leave the van here? Seems sloppy._

He took of his left hand glove and touched the side of the van to find his answer.

_Stolen by Mike last night… I see. _He thought as he put his glove back on and continued his hunt, moving at a steady jog that wouldn't draw too much attention. _Better hurry a bit more, don't want them to wake up in the middle of this._

It annoyed him to have to move so slowly, but it was only 4:21pm and the streets were still filled with cars and the sidewalks with people. The steady jog of a man in a hurry was as fast as he could go under the circumstances. He checked were the truck was headed regularly so as not to have to backtrack but mostly he kept his sight on the path in front of him.

_Wish I could multitask my eyes, that would be very helpful in these situations. _He thought for the thousandth time.

Twenty minutes after he left the alley he saw the truck enter the underground parking lot of a building. He slowed from his jog to a fast walk. During the chase he had more than enough time to guess the intentions of these idiots. The single phrase '…I'll fix that soon enough though.' spoken by Mike told him plenty.

_They don't plan on giving them back. _He concluded quickly, experience giving him little doubt of it. His thoughts on what they wanted with them added fuel to his already towering anger. He remembered Anna's face, the side matted with dried blood.

_I'll save Mike for last…_ he decided as he put the hood of his coat up to shadow his face.

The underground parking lot had three lanes. The residents lane with passcode access, an intercom on the visitors lane and a single lane to exit from. Each lane had its own gate. He walked up to the residents gate keypad, saw a code be punched in then punched it in himself. The gate opened slowly and he let himself in. The lot was deserted and mostly empty so he moved as fast as he wanted. In seconds he found were the truck was parked and saw them unload the girls.

"Ok," Randall said as he walked to the back of the truck "lets do this quick. Andy you keep watch, don't want anyone seeing us till we get them in the bags."

"Aight, I'll do that." Andy said "You be careful with Amber though, she'll give me hell if she has so much as a chipped nail and I don't want intros to go like that." He walked towards the small lobby with the elevators and stood by the door.

"No worries. I'll handle her after I'm done with Jenn." Jake assured him as Randall unclasped the bed cover, raised it and took out the large duffel bags with wheels that were there. He handed one of them to Mike and two to Jake who quickly and gently set to placing Jenny into the bag and closed it. As he started on Amber, Mike had already finished with Anna and was waiting impatiently for him and Randall who had just started on Alex himself.

"Andy!" Jake called when he and Randall were finished. "Come pick up your package!" he chuckled.

Andy walked back to the truck and pulled out the handle on Ambers bag. Together they walked into the lobby and called one of the elevators.

"Maaan," Jake exclaimed, almost giddy "cant wait to show Jenny her room, got her all the stuff she'll want, desk with a lamp, lots of pencils and a bunch of other drawing stuff. She'll be so happy man."

"I hear ya." Andy said, almost as excited "I got Amber lots of outfits for her to play dress up. I'll get her some more next week… maybe a few for me so she can help me dress nicer. Hehe" he said with a smile and a slight blush.

"You guys have no taste." said Randall, watching the elevator light get come towards the basement floor. "Smart girls like Alex are the best. Got her plenty of books to keep her happy. She'll be my own sexy librarian." He said with a large smile as the others grumbled their arguments.

"What bout you Mike? What you get for your girl?" Jake asked, looking back at him.

"Got her some nice dresses and stuff…" he told him" gonna have to fix her attitude though. Girl as pretty as her should be more compliant, not so feisty. Shouldn't be too hard." He mused as the elevator opened.

They all got in and Mike pushed a button, sending the elevator up.

He watched the lights at the top of the door go up. _4__th__ floor, lets hope their all on that floor. Less hassle that way. Been 10 minutes since they went up. Should give em a few more minutes to lock the girls in their 'rooms'. _He looked around the small lobby and noticed the camera looking at him. _Might as well deal with those. _

He took the stairs up to the ground floor, found the guards office behind the front desk and the guard. He slipped into the office without so much as a whisper of noise. He found the cameras recording equipment and ejected the cassettes for all cameras. He removed the magnetic tapes and put the plastic shells back into the equipment.

_That should annoy the hell out of some detective. _He chuckled mentally, putting the tapes in his coat pockets to dispose of later. _Should've upgraded to that a DVD system… though I'd probably find a way to annoy them with those too. _He chuckled mentally again, the mirth never really reaching his lips.

He moved out of the office back to the stairs, the whole act of sneaking into the office, taking the tapes out of the cassettes, putting the cassettes back and sneaking back out only taking 5 minutes.

He moved up the stairs and into the 4th floor in seconds. Stepped in front of the elevator and followed the group of idiots down the hall.

"I'm telling ya man, a play date between all of us will make things go smoother." suggested Jake.

"No, not yet at least. Maybe in a few months or a year. Gotta give em time to adjust." Randall replied

"Aight I guess. I'll just have to make sure she aint lonely then." He mumbled.

" Later guys, I got a lot of cooking to do, gotta be sure we get to share the best first meal of our lives." Andy told them as he opened his apartment and went in with his bag.

"Me too" answered Jake "yep, lot of cooking… I'm thinking either pizza or chinese. Hehehe" He entered the apartment across the hall from Andy and closed the door.

"Hmn" Randall said under his breath "a home cooked meal. That's a very good idea. Later Mike, wanna go out for drinks later to celebrate?" he asked the quiet man.

Mike thought of a moment, "Sure, meet at the car at 9" he answered. Randall nodded and entered his apartment. Mike did the same soon after.

_Aren't we the nice little community. Alright then, Randall and Andy are cooking. From the smell of it it'll take ten or twenty minutes for em to finish. Mike seems to be eating something, yep he just started. Well Jake…your first. Randall will be second, Andy third and Mike… his will be the last one I take._

He walked up to Jakes door, took out some lock picking tools and opened the door in a second. He noticed the door chain hanging loose on the wall. _He probably just likes the way it looks. _He he closed the door he took off his gloves and coat and placed them on a chair then rolled up his sleeves up to the elbows. He heard two hearts in the apartment. One was accompanied by low, steady breaths. _Good, she's still out._ Walking down the hall he saw a door with a strong lock on the outside. _Her room I suppose. _Walking to the end of the hall he stood in the open door of the master bedroom. Jake was at his desk surfing the net. Looking through art sites.

"Please, you don't know nor care for art." He said.

Jake gave a startled gasp as he spun on his chair so fast he nearly toppled it. Before he could get up or say anything He was in front of him clasping his hand over his throat and lifting him in the air. He gasped for air, trying to breathe through his rock hard and cold grip and barely managing it.

"Well, well, well Jake. Porn just didn't do it for ya anymore, huh?" He needled him "Needed to have a real kid, eh? Stalking wasn't easy enough, so when your buddy Andy offered you a chance you just jumped at it, didn't ya? You really are a sick little shit."

As he said this Jake tried with all his might to get out of his grip. He kicked, punched and clawed but nothing worked. If anything his hands and legs hurt as if he'd tried to fight a statue.

"It was a good plan, worked like clockwork." He continued "I doubt the cops would ever have found you or the girls. You were just unlucky that you crossed my path. But Jenny and all the other girls you would've taken… they are very lucky." And with a flick of his wrist he broke Jakes neck. Jakes body twitched a bit before going limp. He just let it fall and exited the room, closing the door behind him.

Faster than the eye could follow he was out of the apartment, closing the door behind him, and at Randalls door. He opened it a bit when he noticed the chain was hooked to the door. _Well, at least someone uses it. Never can be too carefull._ He thought as he snapped it with his fingers.

Randall was sitting on the couch in the living room in front of the tv. He was arguing with someone on his cell. _Aww, Randy got fired. _He thought as Randall hanged up and threw the phone down on the sofa in disgust.

Letting out a sigh, he said "What am I gonna do now?"

"Don't worry about it." He said as he grabbed Randall around the neck in a sleeper hold with one hand and covered his mouth with the other. "Or do worry, don't care either way."

"My, my, graduated from simple stalking and peeping have we? I suppose I should thank you for going for kidnapping before rape in your little curriculum. Less damage this way."

All through this speech Randall struggle against his hold as effectively as Jake. Although he could use his elbows too which led to a well placed strike to His stomach which ended in a sickening crunch and muted scream. Randalls right arm hanged uselessly at his side while his left kept clawing at his throat.

"See what happens when you do wrong things? Bet that hurts. Ok. You have 5 more seconds to enjoy that pain and think about what you've done. 5…4…3…2…1…0" And just like that Randalls head turned to right faster than it was ever meant to, snapping his neck. He dragged the body down the hall and threw it into the main bedroom then closed the door. Paused half a second to make hear if Alex was still out. _Good, still dreaming. _In another second he was out the door, closed it and went to Andys.

The door wasn't even locked… the chain was on though. _He must feel so secure._ He thought as he snapped that chain too and let himself in. _Hmn, smells good. _He moved quickly to the kitchen and looked over the food that was being prepared. _Wow, guy should've cooked at a restaurant._ Looking to the side he saw a picture of Andy in a chef uniform surrounded by a professional looking kitchen. _Oh, he did cook in a restaurant. You never can tell, can ya. _He thought as he turned the stove and the oven off. _Don't want a fire to spring up when this is left unattended now do we. _

He heard the toilet flush and heard Andy start to wash his hands. He heard Ambers slow and steady breathing. _Three out of four still out. So far so good._ He walked to the hallways entrance and stood there, waiting.

As Andy stepped into the hallway He just stood there in plain sight. Andy took two steps toward the kitchen before he noticed him. Andy froze like a deer caught in headlights.

_Never gets old._

"Who ar…" Was all he got out before He had four fingers in his mouth and his thumb under his chin, gripping his lower jaw and forcing it shut.

"Don't worry about who I am, lets talk about you Andy. Good cook, good job, good looks. Why join the rape scene?" He asked him while leading him to his bedroom. When he didn't answer He continued. "Schoolboy insecurities? Nah. Too many rejections? Not that either, is it. You just like cute little girls. But they aren't into you in the slightest are they? They just smell the sick on you." Andy just followed him into the bedroom, afraid of fighting his rock hard and cold grip and breaking his jaw. Andy whimpered every time he couldn't move fast enough, which was often.

"Then you met Mike and Randall…they started this happy little community of pedo-shits, didn't they? Hatched the plan, which was well executed by the way. Even provided all the stuff you'd need to kidnap the girls." Tut, tut, tut. "Never should've listened to him them. What will Christie think when she learns you were a pedophilic kidnapper and aspiring rapist? Her teacher, mentor and crush a certified scum of existence." At that last revelation Andys eyes bulged and almost popped out. "You never noticed did ya. Too bad. You get to spend the next five seconds pondering what could've been." At this Andys eyes opened even wider, quite a feat, as those words sank in. "5…4…3" Andy struggle as much as he could without breaking his own jaw. "…2…1…0" He took his right hand out of Andys mouth. At the same time He punched him 'lightly' solar plexus with his left. As Andy doubled over, coughing and gasping for air, He struck him in the head with his right elbow, it landed with a satisfying crunch. Andy fell to the floor and stopped moving, his breathing getting shallower until it stopped altogether.

He went to the bathroom sink and washed the drool and blood from his hands and from his right elbow.

_On to the last one. _He thought as he moved out of the apartment, closing the door, and moved to Mikes door. He picked the two locks, snapped the chain and moved to disarm the alarm system. He touched the keypad then punched in the code. _One of the better systems, guaranteed to stop the most determined intruders or at least get them caught. _He admired as the panel displayed its 'Thank You' message after disarming.

He moved towards the hall to the bedroom where his prey was located when he caught the scents. _What the…_

He smelled… more people?

No… The apartment was empty but for his objective and his prey, of that he was sure.

_Hmn, they're older scents... scents of people that have bled here... What have you been up to Mike? _

He touched the wall of the hallway and what he saw made his anger boil over into rage.

"Noo" One girl sobbed "It hurts…"

"I wanna go home…" A second girl sobbed.

"Daaaaaaaddy…!" The third girl shrieked.

_Daaaaaaadyy _ The memory cut across his mind like a serrated blade. He took his hand off the wall as if it burned him and stood frozen like a statue, not even breathing.

Slowly, ever so slowly after a full minute had passed he began to move. He turned around and walked to the kitchen, his rage now infused with sorrow, grief and madness. Most people in this state would fly of the handle and hack the object of their emotions to pieces. Not him though, he slowed down and got creative. Methodical. He grabbed the knife holder on the counter then, moving slowly, walked towards the master bedroom where his prey was.

"Which one should I use first…" Mike asked no one in particular. "Have to start gentle, last one didn't respond well to a rough start."

He entered the room silently closing the door behind him and locking it. The lock made enough noise so that Mike turned from his collection of whips, ropes and other assorted tools of restraint and torture. What he saw confused him greatly. He had made sure to lock the door, put on the door chain and activate the alarm system. The windows didn't open were shatter proof. So how did this man get in without him hearing it?

"Who the fuck are you and how'd you get in here?!" Mike all but snarled, grabbing one of his whips.

He just stood in front of the door, unmoving.

"Get the hell out of my house!" Mike yelled at him.

He just stared at him, not making the slightest move.

"That's it!" Mike grumbled as he moved attack the intruder.

Faster than Mike could follow the whip was out of his hand. A knife replaced it, running through the top of his hand and coming out of the palm. Since he had just been holding the handle of a whip his fist was closed, meaning his middle finger was cut off. He touched his palm lightly to see before moving behind Mike.

Mike continued the swing, though his target was no longer in front of him. He was confused, to say the least. Not only was the stranger gone but his had had felt lighter than it should have as he swung the whip. Not only that, but a red line had appeared on the mirror bolted behid the door after he'd finished.

"What…?" Mike said as he raised his hand, palm up, to look at the whip. He saw the blade sticking out like a pillar and his middle finger missing from the first joint up.

"Aaaaaaaaagh!" Mike screamed as the pain finally registered.

"You really are some piece of work." He growled from behind Mike.

Mike whirled around to look at Him, gripping his injured left hand at the wrist.

"Who…" Mike began, but again he was gone "What…" The he notice another pang of agony from his arm. When he looked at it he saw another knife, this one sticking out of his left forearm, right between the bones so that it rubbed against them with every movement. He screamed again in agony and fear.

"Those two are for Amy." He growled from his right this time. The venom and hate painfully evident in every syllable.

Mike turned to face him. "How do you…" he started to ask, true fear beginning to blossom. But again he was gone. This time the pain came from his left leg. When Mike looked down he saw the blade of a knife sticking out of it, again between the bones and rubbing against them.

"How I know of them is irrelevant. What will happen to you because I do… You will see." He said, venom dripping from every word. So much that it momentarily distracted Mike from the pain.

Mike turned around again, his leg giving away making him fall on his side. As he fell he felt another sharp pain from his left arm. Looking at it he saw another knife sticking out of it. He screamed again, panic now replacing fear.

"Those two are for Tia." He said, staring down at him from beneath his shades. Mike looked up at him, confusion and pain on his face.

_How is he doing this? I haven't even seen him stab me once yet I have 4 knives in me. And how can he know about them? I made sure no one could find the… _Mikes thought train wrecked as two more blades sprouted out of his feet, facing up so that if he tried to stand he would push the handles of the knives through. He screamed even more than before, all his wounds almost overwhelming him.

"These two are for Vicky." He told Mike as he squirmed on the ground trying not to move and make it hurt more.

"Please… stop." Mike begged him, raising his right hand to shield his face. He was rewarded for his efforts by another knife, this one going through his right hand in the same way as the left. He then used the knife as a handle to twist Mikes hand down, away from his face.

"Stop…" He said "like you did when Amy asked you to?" He asked, stabbing another knife through Mikes right forearm, same as the left "Like you did when Tia begged you to?" He asked, twisting the blade "Like you did when Vicky pleaded you to?" He asked, grabbing the now sobbing wreck by the collar and throwing him to the wall opposite the bedroom door.

Mike hit the wall hard, cracking several ribs then fell on top of his desk then to the floor in a heap. Every gasp for air added more pain to all his wounds.

"Those two were for Anna, incase you were wondering." He told Mike. He removed one of the larger knives and faced towards Mikes whimpering form. Mike saw the knife and tried to move away.

"Please don't kill me… I don't wanna die." Mike whimpered, begging for mercy.

"Sucks to be you then doesn't it." He told him moving faster than human could and earning a yelp/sob from Mike.

He picked Mike up using the back of his shirt with his left hand and moved him in front of the full body mirror bolted behind the door.

"Look at yourself Mike." He ordered him. "Big bad man kidnapping, raping, beating and murdering innocent children. Trying to get his shitstain buddies in on it. Too bad for them, they'd still be alive if you hadn't" This added a bit of grief to the agony and panic.

"No worries." He assured Mike "You'll get to see them soon."

And with that he raised the large knife slowly, Mike following the movement on the mirror. Then faster than Mike could follow He brought it down across Mikes stomach, gutting him. Mike cried and screamed trying to stop the bleeding and keep his guts inside. All he managed to do was stab and poke himself with the blades is his forearms and hands.

After a few seconds He took the knife and ran it through Mikes neck, blade facing down, adding the panic of drowning to him. As Mikes struggles began to lessen He threw him to the side in disgust, not being able to bear anymore contact with the abomination that passed as a human. He was careful not to get any blood on himself.

_Burn in hell with your buddies._ Were his last thoughts on the subject of Mike and his accomplices.

He stared at the wall, not really seeing it, lost in memories and grief now that the rage and madness had been sated. The rattling of someone trying to open a locked door without the key brought him back to the here and now.

_Shit, someone came to check out the noise?_ In the madness he forgot to be stealthy and quiet… obviously.

Expanding his senses he learned three things in quick succession. One: no, no one had and probably wouldn't come to check out the noise since the building was practically deserted. Two: the three girls in the other apartments were still sleeping. Three: The fourth girl was awake, pissed and wanted out of her 'room'.

_Damnit, did I wake her up? _Then he noticed that sound from outside sounded farther away than it should. _No, room is soundproofed. She couldn't have heard him screaming… head trauma, so unreliable. _He griped, moving out of the bedroom and closing the door. He stood in the hall for a second reassessing the situation.

_Ok, Its been one hour and twelve minutes since they were taken. The girls should be out for thirty to forty-five minutes at least, more if I get them comfortable and they sleep it off. Alright, I'll get the girls in Randalls truck, get em comfortable. Then I'll come and talk Anna into trusting me to get her home and that I'm not the guy that took her. Wont that be an interesting talk._

In a second He was out of the apartment and in Jakes where he put his gloves and coat back on. In the next he went to Randalls, grabbed his car keys then proceeded to Alexs door, opened it with one of the keys and entered. The room had four pieces of furniture; a bookshelf full of books, a desk, an office chair and a small twin size occupied bed.

_Not that bad. _He thought as he picked her up along with the large pillow. He carried her out of the apartment, down the stairs, out the lobby and to the truck. He opened the back went in with her. He placed the pillow vertically in the opposite corner and leaned Alex into it. He tied her seat belt gently. _Safety first. _He stepped out of the truck, engaged the child lock on the door and closed it soundlessly. He stepped around the truck to Alexs door opened it slightly and engaged its child lock as well. He closed it gently. _Just in case. _

All of this took less than a minute. Alex never stirred.

In what remained of that minute he was back in Jakes apartment, he noticed some disposable sleeping masks on the counter and pocketed one. _This'll come in handy later. _He took a moment to listen to Anna.

"C'mon, open up…" He heard her say as she grunted. _Trying to open a window I'm gessing. Wasted effort. _He thought as she gave up with a sigh. "Ok, relax, not the time to panic… ok so it is a time to panic but don't. Calm down and think." He heard her tell herself.

With an actual chuckle he moved to Jennys door opened it with the key hanging on the wall next to it and went in. The room had a drawing desk with a lamp, a cheap six drawer plastic chest full of art supplies and the bed with the sleeping girl. He picked her up gently and walked out of the apartment, grabbing a sofa cushion on the way.

At the truck he opened the door soundlessly, stepped in with her, placed the cushion on Alexs lap and lay Jenny on the seat with her head on the cushion. He secured her with the center seat belt and shifted her body into a comfortable position. Like Alex she never stirred.

He ghosted back up and into Andys. He got the keys to Ambers 'room' off the key holder next to the door and went to open it when he heard a loud, to him anyway, crack of wood. Pausing to listen he learned Annas new plan.

"Alright, good, this'll do." She muttered "Ok, as soon as he comes in ill smack him hard and make a run for it. I'll get the cops and come back for Am, Al and Jen. Yep. Ok. Good." She continued to mumble encouragements to herself.

_Brave…so brave. _He smiled a small sad smile as memories were recalled.

Pushing the memories aside, he went in the room. The room had a tall mirror in the corner next to the bed and a small closet opposite it. He picked Amber up along with the large pillow her head rested on and moved out of the apartment. At the truck he opened the left side door and gently placed Amber on the seat. He put Jennys feet on her lap and the pillow behind her. He secured her seat belt and closed the door without making the truck tremble. He got in the front cabin and over the middle space between the seats to shift Amber into a more comfortable position.

"Don't worry girls," He whispered "I'll get you home safe." He stepped out, closed the door and locked the car.

_Ok, time for the fun part. _He thought as he moved to Jakes apartment. _Talk her down slowly or go blunt? Took me two-and-a-half-minutes to get the girls settled. They might wake up soon… lets go blunt. It's faster plus Anna responds poorly to bullshit and bush beating. _He decided.

He walked into Mikes room, threw a disgusted glare towards the bled out corpse then got the keys from one of his drawers. He was careful not to step on any blood. He spotted a cell phone on the dresser and grabbed that too.

_Ok… Here we go. _He thought as he moved to the door and knocked. _Never hurts to be polite._

He heard her jump and gasp at the sound. Her heart rate rose as she got up from the bed were she was sitting and moved to her ready position.

"Ok… here we go." She whispered, echoing him.

With another sad smile he opened the locks to the door and opened it a bit.

"Hi. Ok I know your confused, scared and your head is throbbing but I need you to put down the stick and listen to me for a moment." He could almost hear the train wreck his words caused in her mind. Two seconds later he heard a dull thud, an "Ow" from her and the clatter of wood on the floor.

"Ouch. Wrong place to put it down." He said before he could stop himself. It earned a growl, a kick to the door and her trying to wrench it fully open. It didn't budge under his grip.

"Sorry, sorry. I couldn't help myself." He apologized.

Her fear and frustration made it all come out in a rush.

"Who are you? Where are my friends? Are they ok? Where am I? Why am I here?" She asked very quickly.

"I'm your rescuer. Your friends are downstairs in the truck waiting for us. They're fine, haven't woken up yet. You're in the room your kidnapper made for you. And as to why you're here…" He answered her. "Lets just say you wont have to do any of it." He said, a small bit of leftover anger in his voice.

She was taken aback. She hadn't expected a straight answer to any of her questions. Most adults tended to want to shield kids like her by keeping her in the dark. It made her a bit suspicious.

"How do I know you're not lying?" She asked.

"You don't, not while were still up here anyway." He answered.

"How do I know you're not the guy that kidnapped me?" She persisted.

"Do I sound like the guy that kidnapped you?" He asked her.

She had to give him that. He sounded nothing like the guy she'd tried to fight off. In fact, he didn't sound like anyone she had heard before. His voice was a bit musical… and was that sadness she heard? His voice had a bit of a calming effect on her that she couldn't explain.

"Ok. So… who are you?" She asked.

"I told you. I'm your rescuer." He replied, confused. _Maybe its knock to the head. _He though worriedly.

"No, I meant your name."

"Oh" He said. He should lie, make up a name. One that wouldn't lead back to him. He knew that. He'd done this before. Yet… for some reason he couldn't understand… he answered her honestly.

"Its Malcolm… what's yours?" He asked, even though he already knew.

"Anna." She replied. "Ok, so you said my friends are waiting for us in a truck… why not just call the cops? And where would you be taking us?" She asked, struggling to keep hold of the fear and suspicion that had been leaving her inexplicably since he started talking to her.

"I don't want them to wake up to the same confusion and fear you did." Malcolm answered honestly "I wanted the same for you but where as they got drugged into unconsciousness you got hit. So you woke up faster. I'll be taking you to the hospital, it's a better place for them to wake up in and you need a check up."

"I'm fine." Anna said quickly in response to the last part.

"Then I suppose that's ketchup on the side of your face. Damn packets are a menace aren't they?" Malcolm teased. "Ok, as much as I'm enjoying this conversation we need to get going so put this on, take my hand and Ill guide you to the truck." He said, passing the sleeping mask he picked up before through the small gap He'd opened.

"Why should I." She asked, taking it from his gloved hand.

"I don't want you to see my face." He answered.

"Why?" She asked again, a bit of suspicion crawling back.

"Don't want you to give my description to the cops when they ask for it. I don't like answering questions I don't want to and they ask a lot. I wont ask you to lie for me so I wont show you my face. You cant answer a question you don't know the answer to, therefore answering 'I don't know' will be the truth." He explained.

"Ok, but I'm not wearing this all the way to the hospital." She told him after a few seconds of thought.

He thought for a moment before answering. "Fair enough, you can take it off once were safely on our way in the truck. That way you can see I'm not playing some perverse game on you too."

"Ok." She said, putting the mask on and adjusting the straps. "I'm ready."

_This is such a bad idea. _She thought as she felt the door open and Malcolm gently grabbed her hand. _I shouldn't be this calm. I should be panicking, kicking and screaming._ Yet she wasn't, she was calm, she felt safe as he led her through wherever she was. She wondered why. She also wondered why his hand felt so cold.

_That… _Malcolm thought. _Was a LOT easier than I thought it would be. _He thought as he lead her to the elevator. As they waited for it Anna fidgeted and squirmed a bit, the temporary blindness making her nervous.

Malcolm noticed it. "Don't worry, I'll get you home safe." He assured her.

_How does he do that! _She screamed using her inside voice as she calmed down instantly at 'Don't worry…' _Not even my parents or Jackie can do that to me._ That thought brought a whole new worry to her mind as they stepped into the elevator.

"What happened to Jackie? I saw her get hit by the jerk that hit me. Is she alright?" She asked.

"She should be fine." He answered. He pushed the button for the basement. "Last time a saw her she had a bad headache and blamed herself for what happened. If my guess is right I'll be taking you to the same hospital she was taken to."

The door opened again and they stepped off, heading out of the lobby and towards the truck.

"Ok, be very silent we don't want to wake the girls." He told her before opening the passengers side door. "You can take the mask off only when I tell you to. Got it?"

"Got it." She answered.

"Alright, I'm gonna pick you up and get you seated then I'll tie your seat belt. Ready?"

"Yeah." As soon as she said it he opened the door, picked her up, got her seated then tied her in.

_He smells so nice. _She thought as he tied her in. _He smells like… I don't know, but its so nice… _She was broken out of her musings by him closing the door noiselessly. She found her head was leaning towards the door, trying to follow his scent. _Ack, what am I doing?! _She slapped her self mentally, blushing a bit.

He was in the drivers seat in a second, he closed the door without even jostling the truck. He put on his seatbelt, _Last thing I need is a ticket, _turned on the truck and drove the group of friends away from a horrible experience.

He put up the deep cowl of his coat, hiding his face it its shadow. Threw a quick glance at the three passengers snoozing peacefully in the back before moving his eyes to the road.

"Ok, you can take off that mask now. Your friends are behind you, be very quiet." He whispered, so low only she had a chance of hearing him.

She quickly took it off and looked behind her seat. She let out a sigh of deep relief as she saw her friends on the seats behind her and Malcolm. They were sleeping peacefully, Jen even had a slight smile on her face. She felt as if a pair of great weights were lifted of her shoulders.

Her friends were safe, just as he said they were. And he… he really was their rescuer. Any doubt she had held on to vanished the moment she saw them. She felt totally and completely drained, as if she had just completed and afternoon of intense soccer practice.

_He has said nothing but truths to me. _She thought, still looking at her friends._ Answering my questions simply, without trying to 'protect' me by keeping the truth from me._

"If you want to say anything, just whisper it as softly as you can." He said suddenly, cutting into her train of thought. "I'll hear you."

She sat back in her seat and looked at the man that had saved her friends and her.

She could see nothing of the man, only the clothes that covered every inch of him from head to toe. The cowl covered the side of his head perfectly, not letting her see so much as a fleck of his face.

She was disappointed, she had hoped to catch at least a peek of his face when he said she could take the mask off when they got to the truck. But that was not to be, he had been too careful. She could smell some of that pleasant scent she caught of him earlier and leaned a bit closer to him.

He drove with his left hand, his right resting on the middle hand rest/glove box. He never so much as glanced in her direction as he drove. She touched his arm, noticing it was as cold as his hand. He didn't acknowledge the contact.

"What are you" She whispered, staring at the cowl.

"What do you mean?" He asked smoothly.

"Your not a cop." She explained her question. "My uncles a cop, and you look nothing like him or his friends. Plus you came for us alone as far as I can tell. If you had been a cop you wouldn't have tried to rescue us by yourself." She finished.

"I'm… a guy that happened to be passing through the place you were taken from," He said. "saw what happened and decided to help out."

_It's the truth. _He thought. _Just not very detailed._

"Why did you decide to help." She continued.

"Because I could." He said without hesitation.

_Hmn. _She thought, musing over his answers. Looking around the cab of the truck, she noticed it was brand new, the radio console still had the plastic sticker covering it. Looking at it she noticed the time.

_5:03pm? That can't be right. _She thought. She checked her watch and saw that the clock on the truck was right.

"How long has it been since we were taken?"

"About an hour and twenty minutes, give or take. Why?"

"How did you find us so fast?"

"Followed the scumbags." He said. "Lucky the all lived so close to each other."

They sat there in silence for a few minutes. Malcolm drove barely beneath the speed limit. Traffic was light so they were making quick progress towards the hospital. She let out a huge yawn. She was getting sleepy.

"You know, your taking all of this remarkably well. I keep waiting for you to break down in tears or something." He told her.

She thought for a moment. "Yeah, its odd isn't it? Maybe its because I'm so tired. Maybe I'll break down after later, after a nap. Right now I feel very safe though."

"Really?" _That's interesting. I tend to unnerve people._

"Yeah." She said in a drowsy voice. Her eyes were getting heavy.

"Why don't you get some rest, we'll be at the hospital soon enough." He told her.

"Ok." She said as she got comfortable, within seconds of closing her eyes she was off in peaceful slumber.

After a few minutes of silent driving Malcolm glanced at Annas sleeping form. A dull ache that he usually ignored in moments like these making coming up.

_She reminds me so much of her. _He thought sadly.

A few minutes later the truck arrived at the hospital with its precious sleeping cargo. He got out when he was sure no one was looking his way, careful not to awaken any of the girls. He walked a few paces away, opened the cell phone he took from Mikes and dialed the number for the hospital. When the receptionist answered he spoke the voice of someone who hit the bottle early that day. You'd never even think to even try comparing his normal voice to that one.

"Good evening, this is Hospital A how may we help you." Asked the perky receptionist.

"Heeeeeey man, you… you know them little girls they done napped from that biiiiig park today?" Malcolm spoke

"Oh yes I do, they brought in the poor woman that was with them a little while ago. But how…"

"Yeeeeah, that's the one…" He cut her off. "It's a damn nashty shing to do lets me tell ya. Takings them porr girlies like that… hold on a secs, gotta wet me lips…" he said to the receptionist.

He looked around for a few seconds, making sure no one had noticed him then continued.

"Wheeeewe, that'll put lead in your penshil…"

"Sir, this line is reserved for emergencies only, if…" The receptionist began, very annoyed with the stupid drunk, but was cut off again to her immense displeasure.

"But thish is and emrshency!" He said. "I meansh, what kinds of irreshposhible peshon jus leave them girlies ina truck outsides yus guys hospital! Damn rude of em rights?! Oh… rides here gotsa go missy." He said hanging up. He opened the door to the truck and put the cell on the seat, then closed the door softly, making sure all the locks were disengaged. He quickly moved away from the truck and stood at a bus stop next to a few people that never even glanced his way.

A few minutes later he saw a security guard come out of the hospital, heard him grumble about stupid drunks and prank calls. That is, until he saw the truck parked to the side of the entrance, were the cameras that covered the entrance couldn't see. He walked closer to the truck, peeked inside and quickly got out his radio spoke frantically. Three minutes later eight nurses pushing four beds in pairs came out running and made a beeline for the truck. They gently got the girls out and on the beds. The three in the back stirred a bit as they were moved but otherwise kept dreaming. Anna never stirred.

_She must be completely exhausted. _He thought, looking over the scene along with the other people at the bus stop.

They rolled the four girls into the hospital, one of the two nurses per bed giving the girls a once over to see if they were hurt anywhere. Anna received the most attention obviously.

Looking at a clock he spotted through the glass door of the hospital he read the time.

_5:36… cut it a bit close but made it before they woke up._

Mal took a quick glance at the route map under the bus stop sign and chose the one he would follow.

After ten minutes of waiting a few cop cars arrived and parked. Some went into the hospital to speak to the receptionist and guard, others carefully checked the truck, bagging and tagging anything and everything.

Another ten minutes passed and a few other police SUV's came, the families of the girls nearly jumped out of them running at a dead sprint through the doors of the hospital, their eyes shining with hope.

Five minutes later the bus arrived and Malcolm boarded it wearing one of his rare smiles, payed the fare and sat in the back. He got out his phone, dialed a number and waited.

"Hey Jerry, its Mal." He said when he heard the line connect.

"Good evening sir, how may I help you."

"You remember the scholarships thing we talked about earlier?"

"Yes sir," Said Jerry "I'm currently going over the candidates now as a matter of fact."

"Remember to stop and get some sleep you workaholic." Mal ordered. "There's no rush."

"Very well, sir." Jerry replied.

"Anyway," Malcolm said, getting back on track. "I want you to get in touch with one Jaclyn Evans, in New Hampshire. She's a freshman at St. Johns University, child development mayor. She's just the kind of person I want on this."

"Understood sir, I'll get to it at once." Jerry acknowledged.

"Very good, goodnight Jerry and remember what I said about getting some rest."

"Yes sir, goodnight" Jerry said before hanging up.

Malcolm closed his phone and put it away. And looked out the window, noting the way the light from the sunset painted the clouds in different ways.

_Today has been a good day, all things considered. _He thought. _I should go hunting tonight, to celebrate two jobs well done._


End file.
